Pages

Thursday, 8 March 2012

Top 5 Attraction Queuing Areas!

Top 5 Attraction Queuing Areas

Walt Disney World was the first theme park I ever went to that turned their queuing areas into a part of the ride itself. You don’t feel like a herd of cattle being funneled through chain linked sections, you can actually have fun whilst you wait minutes, sometimes close to hours to get on a ride! (OK, so maybe there’s only so much fun you can have in a 120 minute queue!)

You see, the people who work at Disney, the ImaginEars, they’re a clever bunch. Daunted you may be by the 120-minute wait for Soarin, they know that if they can entertain you (and the little ones!) for that duration, you won’t get frustrated or stressed out (OK, some people might!). I’ve lost count of the number of times other guest and even I, have been so distracted by whatever is on display in the queue area, we’ve failed to move a long the line and had to do the ‘queue jog’ to catch up!

Without further ado, here are my top 5 favorite attraction queues!

1.Expedition Everest

Did you know the nails you see holding up pictures and various other objects are actually from Tibet? There’s a little authenticity for you! The YetiMuseum is an attraction in itself, with many of its displays rooted in fact and mythology of the infamous Yeti. The ‘Lost Expedition’ display is chillingly realistic, with its images and demolished camp gear, you really feel as though danger could lie ahead on your journey through the mountain. It’s easy to become absorbed in the cultural lessons and interesting facts as you wander around glass cabinets. Be sure to read the material on the walls too, it builds a great story about the ‘people’ who have created the museum and the other expeditions.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean

From the minute you walk under the battlements you are in the underground world of Tortuga! Passing cannons, cells, storage and more, the dark atmosphere really starts to set the scene. You can imagine what it would feel like to be the wanted Capt. Jack, ducking and diving through to escape the East India Trading Company. I also love the ambiance of the loading area, your feel as though you are being smuggled into (or out of) Tortuga!

3. Haunted Mansion

You knew this would make the list right? Especially since the re-imaginearing of the queuing area in 2011. You have the option to skip the interactive queuing area but you have to at least try it once! It’s more like an interactive playground than a queuing area! From ghostly musical instruments to haunted book shelves and interactive tombs, there’s something for everyone. But wait, there’s more! The infamous stretching room makes you feel as though you are already on the ride before you’ve even stepped aboard your doom buggy!

4. Tower of Terror

All the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood covered in decades of dust and cobwebs, it still gives off the feeling of grandeur and vintage elegance as you enter the lobby. It’s all the little touches here that I love, a half finished chess game, abandoned afternoon tea, mail behind the concierge desk never to be delivered. It’s as though one day everyone stopped what they were doing, got up and left. In one way it feels eerie and abandoned, yet in another still inhabited. The boiler room also gives us much to stop and investigate, especially the workers desks and the notes left littering it.

5. Spaceship Earth

Ok, it might not be as ‘story based’ as the above selections, but, where else can you really experience and appreciate the grandeur of the Epcot emblem? Where you can see each plate and groove that makes up the surface if the iconic symbol of all that Walt Disney himself was setting out to create with Epcot? Often I am willing others to look up from their park maps and turkey legs and really take in the immense size of the construction and think about what it stands for. I wonder do they even know why the surface is pointed and not smooth!